Stupid Deaths: Matthew Webb

In the Stupid Deaths waiting room, Death checks in Captain Matthew Webb, who gives his job as professional swimmer only to see Death record something far less flattering. Webb proudly recounts becoming the first man to swim the English Channel, his exhibition races, a marathon spell floating in a tank and the swimming manual he wrote. When Death presses him on how he died, Webb explains that he wanted to top the Channel by swimming a set of rapids, then reluctantly reveals they lay beneath Niagara Falls. Death collapses into laughter, and Webb slides a signed copy of his book across the desk before the next soul is called.

The real Captain Matthew Webb swam from Dover to Cap Gris-Nez in 1875 and later wrote a book titled The Art of Swimming. He died on 24 July 1883 while attempting to swim the Whirlpool Rapids in the Niagara Gorge below Niagara Falls.